Unquenchable
by Eternal Flight
Summary: She never knew that one day her thoughtfulness would lure her into a world she knew she couldn't exist in. But as she found herself melting into his dark, expressive eyes, she found herself fighting not only the world but herself as well. Mori X OC.
1. Chapter 1

**I**

I almost didn't believe my eyes as the scene before me registered in the forefront of my thoughts. Blinking slowly underneath my umbrella, my shock only skyrocketed as nothing I had seen before changed. Could it seriously be true, or had I spent too much time writing love stories and poetry in the library again? It had to be, though I did second guess the boundaries of my imagination. There really was a boy, standing out in the middle of the rain, leaning over a dingy looking cardboard box deposited in solitude on the side of the sidewalk. Although I couldn't see exactly what was in it, my question was immediately answered as I heard a pitiful mew emanating from its opening. My heart lurched as the sudden rainstorm picked up intensity, drenching the boy who was taking off his blue blazer through his white collared shirt; what was he going to do?

He gently picked up a soggy gray ball of fur, wrapping it gently into the folds of his now damp jacket with uncharacteristic efficiency and patience. I moved a few steps forward, lost in the trance his strange actions were putting my mind in, until he suddenly stood to his normal height and looked in my direction. Our eyes met for a few moments, and my features flushed as I took in the cool, expressionless black irises gazing blankly into mine. Dear light, he was gorgeous. He towered over me by a good seven or eight inches, but not so that he looked entirely intimidating. There was something kind and easygoing about his stature, although he was getting mercilessly soaked in the downpour.

Feeling like I had to do something, I hastened to his side, lifting my umbrella high enough over my own head and his so that he wasn't caught in the downpour. He stared down at my face again, though I saw a twinkle of humor hidden behind his eyes as he looked at my pin straight arm trying to feebly hold the umbrella without knocking it into his head.

"You were getting soaked." I interjected abruptly, wishing I could keep my mouth shut for once. Why was I explaining anything to him. "I thought it would be nice to give you some help, seeing as that little kitten couldn't do much to protect you from the rain."

He smiled lightly, moving to look down at the kitten being cradled in his lanky arms. "Thank you."

Dear light, his voice sounded like deep-toned angels singing from the heavens. I wanted to pinch myself- this couldn't possibly be a real life person. There was too much perfection going on here. Part of me just wanted to squat down and start writing a new story with him as the main character, but that idea was quickly shot down as I saw him now looking expectantly at me.

"So," I drawled slowly into the silence, looking at the content animal in his arms before smiling up at him. "Are you planning on keeping the little guy?"

His gaze immediately looked conflicted. "Piyo-chan.."

Piyo-chan? That definitely sounded like an animal's name. Did he have a pet already, and couldn't take the poor guy in? I looked at the darkening sky, biting down on my lip as the thought of having to leave the kitten out here in the incoming storms stung at my heart. Dad probably wouldn't be happy about having another animal in the house, but Yui would probably enjoy another companion. He mighty be a grumpy old cat, but still, I knew that there was a loving side to him like there was hidden in every living creature.

"How about we trade?" I asked cautiously, only to see him raise an eyebrow at me. Laughing, I pointed at the kitten and then at my umbrella. "I'll take the little guy home, and you take my umbrella so you don't get anymore soaked."

He paused for a moment, looking at me and then down at the kitten before offering a curt nod of his head. I smiled widely, moving to lift the hood of my worn, black peacoat over my auburn waves before handing him the umbrella. Digging in the left pocket of my coat, I pulled out the bunny hat I had worn into school that morning, looking over at the kitten and down at the opening of the decent-sized hat.

"I think he'll fit just perfectly in here." I said in victory, opening the hat widely with both of my hands. "Do you think you can move him?"

The boy nodded again, putting my umbrella down for a moment to lift the cat out of his blazer and into the hat. I couldn't help but coo as the kitten opened its large blue eyes to stare up at me and purr, its gratefulness to being warm and dry clearly expressed in its wordless exchange with me. I flushed again as the boy smiled genuinely down at me and the kitten, already moving to sling his blazer over his leather schoolbag and lift the umbrella over his head. We stood awkwardly for a few moments before I realized that there was nothing keeping us from going our separate ways.

Sighing sadly, I moved to walk past him, only to feel a hand clamp down gently on my shoulder. Turning around in the now drizzling downpour, I was immediately bombarded by an unexpected question. "What's your name?"

"Hoshi Mizutemari." I smiled warmly, bobbing my head courteously. "And you?"

"Takashi Morinozuka."

I nodded at the dark-haired boy. "Well, be careful on your way home Mr. Morinozuka. Don't catch a cold! Later."

I dashed past him before he could even manage to blink, holding the kitten securely against my chest as I turned the corner towards my house. Takashi Morinozuka: what exactly was he? A kind hearted soul, or just a guy with a soft spot for animals? Somehow, I found myself wishing that I'd get the chance to figure him out. Living in the fantasy world of my stories had always gotten me through the day, but now, I knew that perhaps there was just as much excitement waiting for me out in the real world, wrapped up tightly in the brilliance of a silent, dark-eyed man.

**AN:** This is just a story I started up a few months back for a friend's birthday. I thought I might put it up so some other people could enjoy! Please review! ~E.F.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Just to clarify something mentioned in this chapter, for those who may be unfamiliar with the term "Pineapple." It's usually a brunette who acts or thinks like a blonde (you know, since pineapples are brown on the outside and golden on the inside). Oh, and I do not own Ouran Host Club in any way shape or form, though you know I'd LOVE to. A big thank you to Sophia Rosalie Gibbs, KatanaNightengale, and Meijipucca for reviewing! Please enjoy!**

**II**

A set of knocking woke me from my nap in front of the window with a groan. The kitten stretched from his spot on top of my abdomen to look at me with his big blue eyes of molten adorableness and squeak, purring in the anticipation that I was going to either pet him or feed him. We had grown close over the week or so after I had rescued him with Morinozuka, and I couldn't help but smile every time I looked down at his growing gray frame. Like expected, my parents hadn't been thrilled to have yet another mouth to feed, but in the end, allowed him to stay after seeing how complacent he was, even with grumpy old Yui. I, however, was thrilled at having another furry member to my rag-tag team of friends, and took extra precious care of the little guy.

The knocks started again after I moved across the family room towards the door, only to see my brother, Akihiro, peeking his head into the door. His clothing was disheveled, like it always was on the weekend, a pair of headphones hung haphazardly around his neck. He pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose with an irritated glare in my direction while running his other hand through his tousled hair, clearly just haven woken up or was still hung-over from having to restart his new video game for the hundredth time today.

"You better answer it." Aki grumbled, his voice caring effortlessly in the space between us as the kitten scampered over to his side, rubbing happily against his legs. He bent down for a moment, an easy feat for his six foot six frame, to rub the kitten and pick him up, holding him back out to me. "Dad's not going to be happy if someone interrupts his bath before work with a bunch of loud knocking. It's probably Mitty anyway, so tell her to go home."

I scrunched my nose as I took the kitten into my arms. "Stop talking badly about my best friend. She may act crazy, but she's smarter than you think."

He rolled his eyes with a scoff, gesturing to the door before sauntering back down the hallway with heavy footsteps. I looked at the kitten, who was still purring incessantly in my arms, laughing as I finally made my way to the door. Mitty usually didn't come by on Saturday, seeing as she worked the night shift in the paper factory on the other side of the city every Friday night, but with her, you really couldn't say anything with certainty. She prided herself on having the weirdest knowledge in our entire senior class, and was exuberant on a number of things that either had me shocked at how deeply she thought or cringing at how silly she could get when worked up. But over the years, she had really grown on me, and the two of us had become an inseparable duo throughout the various trials of our three years in senior high.

Opening the door, I stood with my mouth hanging slightly open at the fact that Mitty was not standing on the other side. Instead, I was staring- erm, more like gawking like the idiot I was- at Morinozuka and a grinning blonde boy half his height. He looked casual but oh so handsome in the navy slacks and black cropped shirt he was wearing, and I couldn't help but quickly grin at the unexpected turn of events. Who wouldn't be happy to have a tall, dark, and very VERY handsome man standing outside their front door? His eyes slowly drifted down to the kitten in my arms, and soon smiled alongside of me.

"Morinozuka." I greeted warmly, albeit with some shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on the kitten and return your umbrella." He said honestly, the light dancing happily in his eyes as he regarded me as he lifted a bag teeming with my umbrella and cat toys.

"That's very kind of you." I replied, my heart pattering at a million miles an hour at his thoughtfulness. Dear light, he was just as kind as I had originally thought! My gaze reverted to the blonde still smiling beside him, and I ducked into a hasty bow, mentally cursing myself for not greeting him earlier. "It's nice to meet you, um-"

"Mitskuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Hani." He chimed in, holding up the box in both of his hands. "I'm Takashi's cousin. We brought you some cake."

"That's really nice of you." I glanced behind me, but neither Aki nor my father were standing there, so I made a hasty decision. "Would you like to come in? I can fix some tea, and you can play with the cats, if you want."

"You have more pets?" Hani asked expectantly, looking up at me with his large blue eyes. I almost melted at how sweet he looked! How old was he? Twelve, maybe thirteen?

"Just another cat at the moment," I retorted as they took their shoes off and followed me to the family room. "but I've rescued close to ten other animals in the past."

"Ten?!" He exclaimed, moving to look up at his much taller cousin. "That's really great, isn't it Takashi?"

He nodded once before smiling down at me. "Yeah."

I tried to laugh off his compliment, but it came out sounding forced. "Thanks." I held out the kitten towards him, trying to contain the strange feeling of excitement surging through my veins. "The family room is right through here. Why don't you take Mohi and make yourselves at home? I'll be back in a few minutes with the tea."

They both nodded as the dark-haired boy gingerly took the happy kitten out of my arms, chuckling lightly as the purring ensued again. I watched them tromp off into the family room, already head first into another conversation. Aki soon appeared in front of me, and I jumped in surprise, slamming a fist into his shoulder. He hissed for a second, before clamping a hand over my arm and dragging me into the kitchen.

"Dude." He said slowly, his eyes wide as he stared at my confused expression. "When did you become friends with the top martial arts contenders in the country?"

"What?" I pressed, looking at him expectantly. Those two were_ that_ famous?!

He slumped his shoulders, shaking his head dejectedly. "You really are a pineapple, Shi. Those guys come from two of the most influential families in the country. They're kendo, judo, and whatever other form of marital arts you can think of champions. Didn't you even realize that they're seniors who go to the huge academy in the nicest part of town?"

"Whoa, whoa." I put in, throwing my hands into the air as my eyes widened. "Hani's the same age as me?!"

"Pineapple." He muttered, shifting his glasses back over his hazel eyes with a frown in my direction. "They're richer than all get out. Don't mess with them if you know what's good for you. This isn't one of your stories; people like them won't take you seriously."

I frowned as well, popping him deftly against the forehead with three of my fingers. "Stop being such a pessimist, Aki. It's not like I invited them over. Morinozuka is the guy who actually found Mohi, and he just came to check in on him. It's not any more complicated than that."

"Ow." He rubbed his forehead, moving to push past me. "I really hope so, but knowing you, it's not that simple. Your mind is always playing a game you can't win."

"It's not my fault I have an overactive imagination." I mumbled as he sauntered back to his bedroom.

I tried not to think about what he had said, busying myself instead with pulling out the nicest china we had while the tea kettle boiled the water. That lasted for a few minutes before my thoughts caught up to me. There were two wealthy guys sitting in my dinky little family room, playing with my cats. How did they know where I lived? Had they really only come to check in on the kitten? Things like this never happened to me. People came and went, never taking me very seriously, other than Mitty. Aki was right, like usual; I was trying to make more of this situation than it actually was.

A high-pitched whistle from the kettle jolted me back to reality, and I threw a pack of earl grey tea into the boiling water before placing the kettle onto a pad in the center of the serving tray. Double checking that everything looked decent and not screaming that we were almost as poor as a sack of dirt, I sauntered back to the family room, only to pause as I took in the sight going on there. Hani was laying on his belly, holding a rod with a myrriad of colored feathers dangling only inches in front of Mohi's face, giggling as the little puffball tried and failed to catch any of the slow swinging prey. Morinozuka was sitting comfortably on the couch, petting Yui, who was sleeping soundly on his lap, seeming to be pleased as punch at the attention the guy was giving him. That cat never liked anyone, let alone acted like a lap animal. Whatever Morinozuka had done left me swearing he was some kind of sexy animal whisperer.

"Having fun?" I managed as I placed the tray down on the coffee table to their right.

Hani smiled from his spot on the floor, still playing gleefully with the kitten. "Yep! Mohi is so cute. How did you pick the name?"

"I wanted a really optimistic name." I shrugged, moving to pour three steaming cups of tea. "When I was looking it up on the computer in the library, I thought it fit what I thought he deserved in his future with me."

"That's really sweet." Hani replied, looking up at my with kind eyes before glancing at his cousin. "Shi-chan is as smart as she is nice, huh Takashi?"

"I don't think so." I put in before he could answer. I rubbed the back of my head with a melancholy smile, hating that these rich, privileged kids were praising someone like me. "Morinozuka was the one who actually saved him. I don't know if I would have stopped and taken him otherwise."

"I sure you would've." Hani smiled, moving to look between the tall boy, who was now staring intently at me, and the kitten still intent on playing with him. "And you keep calling Takashi by his last name. He prefers being called Mori."

"What about Takashi?" I quipped, clamping a hand over my mouth as I realized my blunder and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I didn't mean too sound informal with you! It was just a joke, honestly."

Mori raised an eyebrow at me before watching Mohi jump again. "It's fine."

My blush didn't subside. A million thoughts were crowding my mind, a new chain for a story line building around this strange, unfolding circumstance. I pushed the stupid author's intuition away with a mental shove. This wasn't the time; I really needed to Aki's advice a lot more. Despite being two years my junior, he had built up more than enough wisdom for the both of the two of us. Don't think so much was his daily warning to me, and out of all the days, today seemed to be the one I wished I could do just that.

"Shi-chan?"

I jumped, looking over at Hani with an apologetic smile. "Sorry! I was just wondering how in the world your cousin managed to subdue Yui into sitting on his lap, let alone sleep on him."

"Takashi's great with animals." Hani chimed pridefully, moving to sit cross-legged as Mohi finally noticed that I was in the room and scampered over to my side. "He has a chicken and a tanuki that he rescued this year living at his house."

"Ah." I laughed gently, moving to squat down to pet Mohi. "So that must be the mysterious Piyo-chan he was mumbling about when I bumped into him. I'm guessing that's the name of your chicken?"

Mori nodded. "Yeah."

I started to ask questions about how difficult it was to care for a chicken, and before long, we were all head first into a weird but interactive conversation about different animals we've always wanted to have as pets. It was so nice that I eventually let my guard down and started rambling a million miles an hour about the one time I had gone on a drive-thru safari, thinking that the whole point was you got to take one of the exotic animals into the car and the zoo let you take them home with you as a souvenir which I found out in a moment of earth-splitting realism, was not the case. The other two chuckled at my childhood blunder while finishing off the strawberry cake they had brought, and in the end I was laughing just as hard with them, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere they were building up around me.

That aura lasted until my father stuck his head through the open doorway, glaring impatiently at me. Hani was half-way through a statement about what kind of rabbit he wished genetic modifiers could breed, but paused abruptly as he caught my stricken expression. I stood, moving to the door, trying my best to not shudder as I felt the other two's eyes following me with concern.

"Hey, Dad." I managed a tiny smile, looking into his exhausted face. "Is it already time for you to go back to work?"

"Of course it is." He snapped, looking over my head to the two boys. "Who are they?"

"Just friends." I wasn't entirely sure if it was the truth, but I didn't know what else to call them.

"Really, Hoshi?" His tone made it absolutely clear that he was disappointed in me. "This is what you make me deal with when I slave away day and night so you'll have a roof over your head and food in your belly?"

I ducked my head down, hoping he wouldn't berate me anymore in front of the other two. "I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

A few moments of silence ensued before he sighed. "You're almost as bad as your dead-beat brother, but at least you remembered to pack my dinner. Make sure to have everything cleaned out by the time your mother gets back, alright?"

"Yes sir."

He noted my meekness, clicking his tongue distastefully before walking towards the front door. I turned back around to see Hani and Mori sharing a look, and a rock seemed to drop into the pit of my stomach. The look in their eyes made it clear that they were onto the complex situation I was living through. My mind immediately put barriers up, and I forced an cheery smile, giving a small chuckle as I moved to rejoin them around the table.

"Is that your father, Shi-chan?" Hani asked cautiously, his expression serious for the first time since their arrival.

"Yeah." I attempted a tiny smile, but my lips were cemented into a thin line of panic. "He's going off to work, and he wasn't sure what was going on. That's the usual, though; he's asleep most of the day as it is so he doesn't really know anything other than working or sleeping."

"And what about your mother?"

"She's out right now, visiting my aunt who lives a few towns over. During the week, she's a preschool teacher so she tries to relax on the weekends when she can have a few hours to herself. I think you guys would really like her; she's the only person Yui actually tolerates."

"So that leaves you in charge here, huh?"

I shrugged, hating to think that I carried that much weight around here. "Not really. I just take care of the animals, pick up whatever chores my mom or brother, Akihiro, didn't finish, and make sure there's dinner and food packed for Dad. It's the least I can do, seeing as I don't have a job just yet."

"And what kind of job would that be?"

"My brother tells me you guys go to Ouran." I blurted instead, completely avoiding his question. There was a heavy lump in my throat; I didn't want to talk about myself anymore, let alone my stupid hopes for the future. "What's it like? I've only seen it in passing."

Hani glanced blankly at me for a a little longer than necessary before jumping back into his energetic self. "It's really awesome. The people are really nice, and we have lots of fun."

I glanced over at Mori, who was still staring blankly at me. "What about you, Mori? How do you like the academy?"

"As long as Mitskuni's happy, I'm happy."

I pondered his simple statement for a moment while sipping my lukewarm tea. It was simple that he adored his cousin, and it was just another admirable trait I saw in him. He seemed as close to perfection as you could get in a guy, but still, there was something alluring about him that made you want to dig a little deeper. It wasn't like I was going to get the chance, though. In the end, they would stop coming to see Mohi, and I'd never see either of them again. Most people's hearts would have lurched at such a dreary notion, but with all the loss of friends I had found over the years in high school, I had almost become immune to it.

A series of beeps interjected with my dismal thoughts, and Hani pulled a light blue cell phone out of his jacket, smiling as he read whatever message he had received before looking up at his cousin. "Kyo-chan wants us all to meet up at the mall in forty-five minutes. We should get going, Takashi."

Mori nodded slowly, moving to pick Yui up gently. The chubby Calico grumbled in disagreement, but sat in the next cushion obediently as he moved to stretch his legs. He bent over for a moment to scratch the feline in between the ears, only to have him purr deeply in response. I watched the exchange with a tearful expression; light, did he have to be so good with animals? It was making it hard for me to believe this was still reality. We all stood and moved towards the door, Mohi followed behind us with a small set of mews to let me know he didn't want to be left out of the good-byes.

I picked him up with a laugh, holding him out towards Mori and Hani with a genuine grin. "The little guy's sure gotten attached to you. You should probably say goodbye, or he'll be heartbroken."

"Bye, bye Mohi!" Hani cooed as he gently patted the kitten on top of his head. "I promise we'll come back another time to play, right Takashi?"

"Yeah." Mori smiled gently, moving to scratch the kitten underneath the chin with one of his fingers.

"Really?" I squeaked, trying to suppress the urge cry at the hope of getting to see them again. So far, so good in that department.

"Of course!" The blonde gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "You're really nice, Shi-chan. There's not a lot of places where Takashi can play with animals, and Mohi's so cute, I couldn't not see him again. It'll be lots of fun, just like this time."

"Great." I managed, a few tears of joy spilling down my face as I fumbled for my cell phone, the hope for a new, real friendship pounding wildly in my chest. "Could we trade numbers, then? I can send you pictures of Mohi and Yui, and you can send me pictures of Piyo-chan, the tanuki- anything you think is cute."

They both agreed, and before long, I had both of them listed in my phone's contacts list. After Hani gave Mohi one last goodbye pat and Mori leaned over to ruffle my hair with a tiny chuckle at the enthusiastic – albeit idiotic- grin etched across my face, they left in great spirits. I squatted down near the floor to let Mohi run around, crumpling my hands across my face at how stupidly happy I felt at the strange turn of events. Could this all be true? I could hear Aki's words of warning ringing forbiddingly in the back of my thoughts, but I pushed them away as I jumped to my feet, feeling more invigorated than I'd felt for the first time in three years.


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

"Ouch." I cringed, moving to pick up Mohi, who was trying to knead dough across the tender part of my belly. The little kitten mewed in response, rubbing his soft face against the side of my arm as I relocated him to my other side. Yui, who was strangely asleep on top of my legs, woke up just long enough to grumble at the movement as well, quieting Mohi down to submission with his blatant outcry of unhappiness.

My mother stuck her head through the doorway of my room, looking at me with a concerned smile. Her dark hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, which complimented her crisp and high buttoned outfit. Although she looked the harsh teacher on the outside, she was one of the biggest softies I'd ever seen. "Hey, I'm just about to leave for work. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"Yes, yes." I grumbled, trying hard not to move as a new wave of pain rolled in. "I did something stupid once; I'll be just fine- go enjoy your gardening group."

She shook her head at my blatant stubbornness, closing the door behind her with a resounding click. Every part of my body was still screaming in pain, and with the events of my own idiocy only happening yesterday, it wasn't a major surprise. Most people would be in hysteria after being hit by a car, but me, not so much. I was more worried about the fact that I had forgotten to make Dad a plate of skewered meat like he wanted for work, and now was being checked out frantically by a guy probably old enough to be my father after he abruptly hit me going probably no more than ten miles an hour. He insisted on taking me to the hospital, but I steadily declined, telling him I was sure nothing was broken and limped on home as he watched, unsure of what else to do. I kept up the nonchalant charade until Dad's meal was prepared and he was on his way to work before I started bawling hysterically from the excruciating pain, only to have Aki and my mother, who had just walked in the door, help get me up to my room where I'd been laying like a bruised, pain-laced potato for almost an entire day.

I was probably stupid for not going to the hospital, but the last thing I needed was to put more stress on either of my parents. Our oven had broken in some way a little under two weeks ago, and like the saying always goes, trouble seems to travel in a pack. Once the oven was fixed, something was wrong with the washing machine, and low and behold, my father was a ticking time bomb to anything needing even an extra yen out of his carefully calculated budget. This included any medical expenses, and that meant no hospital trip for me. My mother and Aki had already sworn secrecy to not telling him about my run-in with the car, and I had slept fairly decently in the realization that my father would not have a reason to be angry with me.

From my room on the second floor, I could barely make out some noise coming from down the stairs. Dad was still asleep, so I was hoping it was just Aki leaving to some gaming tournament or watch some sports with his weird gaggle of friends. I loved that idiot to pieces, but sometimes, I had to shake my head at the things he found enjoyment in, especially when it meant staring aimlessly at a screen and 'rage quitting' more times than not. His friends were all in the same boat, and whenever they got together, it meant a lot of yelling, laughing, and cursing. Fun thing to look forward to when you're lying in bed like a potato, right? My hopes were him and whoever he was meeting at the door was squashed squashed as I heard two sets of heavy footsteps making their way slowly up the stairs, my mind racing as to who was coming up here. Light, had the guy from the accident yesterday found out where I lived?

My answer came as Aki opened the door just wide enough to peek his head in through. He had a bemused smile on his face, looking over at my questioning, fearful glare with great humor. "You have a guest."

He stepped away, and low and behold, the door swung open to let a very tall and familiar shadow dance across my floor. A tiny squeak of shock was all that could escape from my lips as Mori stepped into the room, looking more glorious and heavenly than all the beautiful male protagonists or Greek god reincarnations I could whip up out of thin air. The realization that I had neglected to call him and cancel our plans for today slammed into my head like a speeding bullet, and as tempted as I was to slap myself repeatedly against the head, the pain made it impossible to do anything but gawk at him in embarrassment.

"Light, Mori! I completely forgot about taking you to the opening day for the air market today." I rambled, sounding more and more idiotic with each word that passed without paused from my lips. The blush of pure mortification ran hot and down my cheeks like an inferno of never ending shame and humiliation at my inability to shut up."You should go by yourself- it's really a nice experience, even if you're alone. There's so much stuff you would like, and we did promise to get Hani something cute and something sweet, so you shouldn't leave him hanging. As for me, I'll make it up to you somehow, so let's plan to meet up another time, okay?"

He didn't say anything, and instead, came to sit in the chair my mother had left by my bedside last night. Mohi noticed his presence and immediately shot up from his peaceful spot on the far side of the bed, stepping over my abdomen yet again to move to the lanky boy's outstretched hand. I hissed in pain as the kitten intersected with the various bruises I had all over my torso and upper legs, but quickly pressed my lips together as I felt Mori's intense gaze peering directly onto my face. After spending a few months getting to know him and Hani a little bit better, I started to pick up on silent messages the usually silent guy left in wake of speaking words out into the open for everyone to hear. And this silent cue, I had come to realize very early on, meant he was expecting more information out of you than what you were saying.

I sighed lightly, before groaning as I realized he wanted to know what in the world was going on. He would think I was the queen of all idiots, but hey, if he hadn't got that idea in his head yet about me, something was definitely wrong. "Look, Mori, I know this is going to sound really, _really_ stupid, but I got into an accident yesterday. I wasn't really paying attention when I was crossing the road a few streets over, and a guy came out from around the corner and tapped me. He wasn't going fast enough to break anything, so I just went home."

His eyes didn't lift from mine, though Yui had now gotten up as well to rub against the side of his knee. He alternated petting each cat as the moments wore on, and all I could do was stare at him, anxious as the silence continued. The thing with Mori, surprisingly, was you could almost always tell what he was thinking. He was the king of nonverbal communication, and had perfected the art form to a tee in body language, emotion filled eyes, and a Morse-code of eyebrow movements. After gathering all of that, I came to the conclusion that he was deep in thought and was going into dangerous waters with someone like me.

"You need to go." He said suddenly, and I tensed at the sound of his pensive, richly deep voice.

"Where?" I laughed lightly, hoping he was just trying to make a joke. "The festival?"

He shook his head, pulling out a gray cell phone from the inner pocket of his black denim jacket. "The hospital."

Before I could even protest, he opened the phone, pressed a button, and began speaking in clipped, polite sentences to a voice I didn't recognize. He clicked the phone shut, giving the cats one last scratch underneath their chins before he stood. I watched him stretch for a moment, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a valid argument as to why he couldn't take me to the hospital. Other than the fact that I didn't have any money to pay for the bill, there was really no reason to stop him.

"Mori." I squeaked as the tears brimmed my eyes. Light, I wouldn't cry over something so petty! I knew that I was poor and that there was nothing I could do about it. "Please don't do this. I won't-" I choked back my pride and lowered my eyes as the humiliation set in. "I won't be able to cover the bill."

He moved to squat beside me, ruffling my hair gently underneath one of his hands. "I know."

Within the next five minutes, I found myself out of bed, walking- more like alternating wincing with a pathetic excuse to put one foot in front of the other- down the stairs with Mori's help and into a very posh looking car that was magically parked outside of my house. I leaned back into the soft leather seat as the car took off gently down the straight streets, sighing as a mix of pain and intrigue swept over me. Mori sat beside me, his arm propped against the armrest attached to the door while his head leaned into it. As I saw his stance from the corner of my eye, I thought he was entertaining himself by looking at the summer scenery passing us by. But when I actually turned to regard him, my eyes widened as I realized he had been looking side-ways at me the entire time. I could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before looking down at my hands, unsure of what to say to him.

That feeling was only seconded as we sat in the emergency room of the hospital. People were passing us by as I filled in the medical records that the nurse handed to me, eying Mori with extra attention as he stood stoically by my side. A lot of other women were watching us just as carefully, whispering dejectedly as he sat down beside me, twiddling his fingers as the awkward silenced between us wore on. He didn't seem ill at ease about being here with me; his posture told me that he was as relaxed as anyone could possibly get in a place like this. Unlike him, I was a raving mess. All I kept thinking was how horrible I felt that he felt obliged to take me here, even when this wasn't his fault. Although his kindness touched me, it didn't help that he was a) the nicest guy I had ever had the luck of being friends with and b) richer than my parent's wages for five years squished into one fat paycheck. I didn't want anything to disrupt the strange balance the two of us were allowed to interact in, and honestly, I had been walking on egg shells to make sure I never overstepped the boundaries I had put up. Now, I had this sickening feeling clawing at the back of my throat as I realized that may have all gone up in smoke.

"Mizutemari?"

I craned my head to look at a male nurse at the double doors leading into the actual hospital, who was looking over the papers I had Mori hand back in to the desk a few minutes before. My companion stood, moving to hold out his hands to me so I could stand without screaming like a yeti at the pain lancing through every fiber of my body. He let go of his hold on me as we moved to walk to the entrance of the examination rooms, although I was half tempted to make a hasty escape before he could even process what was going on.

"Alright, miss." The nurse said cautiously, looking over at me and then down at my file once again. "It seems we'll have to do some x-rays to check for fractures or any bone damage from the collision. Is there any chance that you could be pregnant?"

My jaw dropped in mortification. "No." I muttered through pursed lips, the blood draining from my face as I hoped someone would strike me down now.

He raised an eyebrow, splitting a glance between me and Mori, clearly skeptical. "Are you sure?"

I couldn't help but let the image of what he was implying race across my mind. Heavenly, beautiful Mori, coming to bask with a mortal like me? Oh light. The blood finally rushed back to my face as the imagery went a little too far in the safety of my own mind. "Very sure."

Mori was left outside the room in a chair that seemed two sizes too small for his tall frame, while I was whisked away inside for a series of upper body scans and an examination. The pain was so excruciating as the nurse gingerly tried my bruises that I, being the total pineapple I am, ended up biting down on my lip so hard it started to bleed. Oh joy, another injury to add to the list. My nurse didn't seem to notice my self-inflicted wound, and went to work to intently regard the x-ray copies another hospital worker carried in just moments before.

He nodded slowly before turning to look at me. "Well," He said gently, "It looks like you have two fractured ribs, one on each side in similar areas."

Fractured ribs? That sounded very, very unhappy. "Is it serious?" I squeaked, pinching a rift into my pale purple sun dress.

"No, not life-threatening or bad enough that you need to be kept here, but you will need to be on bed rest for at least a week to allow the bones to restrengthen themselves around the injury. That means no rigorous activities or even walking for long periods of time."

Nothing could hide how crestfallen I felt. "Oh."

"I'll go find the doctor to write you a leave of absence for your school and to get some pain killers, so just wait here. Your boyfriend can come in and sit with you now that we're done, so I'll let him in on my way out."

I tried to put in the fact that Mori wasn't my boyfriend, but the nurse had already exited the room before I could even managed a syllable. A familiar, lanky body now entered the room, glancing over at the x-ray charts and then over at me. His eyebrows raised slightly as he took in my tear-stained face and crumpled appearance, but by this time I had already thrown in the towel for having any pride left for my predicament. He sauntered over to my side, and I patted the spot beside me on the lined reclining chair for him to come and sit.

"They said I have some fractured ribs." I blurted out as his warmth flooded the space to my right, my face flushing slightly for goodness knows why. "But there's nothing to worry about. Just a good, long rest for me and I'll be a-okay."

I gave a weak smile and a thumbs up, but all he did was blink slowly in return. His eyes were still deep in thought, and I found myself fretting yet again that I was burdening him in some way that I couldn't necessarily understand. What was going through his brain right about now? Knowing Mori, he was probably trying to figure out how I was going to fare by being stuck in bed for that long, or something along those lines.

"Everything's going to be just fine." It felt weird that I was the one reassuring him in this situation, but I didn't know what else to say. "Mom can take care of Mohi and Yui for me, and Aki, he's not the best cook but-"

My rambling is suddenly cut off as his hand brushed against my bottom lip. The pain surged quick and deep for a moment as one of his fingers brushed against my freshly inflicted cut, and I winced until a strange feeling I had never experienced before flooding my veins instead. It felt deep and strong, leaving me blushing crimson in its wake. From all my experience writing and reading romance novels, this was one thing I knew for certain was a very bad sign.

"Whoa." I said suddenly as his hand descended back to his side. His eyes narrowed at my trance-like state, and I laughed nervously in hopes of downplaying the weird sensation I had just underwent. But before I could stop myself, I lifted my own hand to his lips, pausing as I felt the warm, soft skin underneath my fingertips. His eyes widened for a moment, and I quickly withdrew my hand as a tiny blush tinted his cheeks at my impulsive behavior. Dear light, what was I doing? Sure, I had been wondering if it felt the same for him, but did I really have to go and do that? I wanted to crawl into a hole and die at how stupidly embarrassed I felt.

Neither of us said a word- or even managed to glance at each other- until the nurse arrived back with the doctor. After a quick lecture on how vitally important it was that I stay in bed for at least four days without much movement and if any of my organs started to hurt I needed to rush myself back to the hospital, Mori was handed a vial of pain medications and my excuse for school this week while I was given two small pills and a cup of water. We were then moved to the payment desk, where my mortification grew as the lady behind the counter chatted with Mori about payment options for my bill that totaled over eleven hundred yen. In the end, he just flipped open his wallet and paid the amount in full with a flurry of bills, his expression calm and even like he was spending his pocket change on a convenience store dinner. I almost smacked my head against my hand in the realization that for his family it probably was an equivalent to that, until my thankfulness for him took over. He didn't have to do this. But, as I understood with a tiny smile, this was just the type of person Mori was. It didn't matter if you were a human or an animal; he would do everything in his power to ensure that you made it out okay. There wasn't another person on the face of the earth like him, and the thought of being one of the privileged few to be cared for by him filled me with an overwhelming feeling of safety and happiness.

The medication kicked in during the first few minutes of our ride back to my house, and my eyelids soon dropped in defeat at the effects the pain killers were playing on my body. I wanted to stay awake with all my might, but the prospect of sleep was just too strong for me to fight. I slumped over into Mori's side, mumbling some sort of apology before I was heralded off into a blissful, painless sleep.

**AN: Hoshi's injury in this chapter was based on some girl I knew who got hit jaywalking in real life so I didn't pull it our of thin air, if any of you were wondering. Since I always forget, I do not own Ouran High School in any way, shape, or form. Thank you to all who have been reading, and to SRG who reviewed on the last chapter. Please review! ~ E.F.**


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

You would think that being on bed rest would be peaceful but boring. Wrong. Absolutely, positively _wrong_. If there could be angels holding sirens and red danger flags around your head so you'd get the message, that would be the exact scenario I felt like I was living through. When I wasn't sleeping off the effects of the strong medication, I would sit in bed, replaying my day at the hospital over and over in my head like some strange movie. All I could do at first was laugh or smile as the various acts Mori did for me skimmed across the surface of my thoughts, until I began worrying about every single stupid thing I had done in regards to him. When I woke up after the hospital ride home, Aki was all too eager to tell me about how my tall companion had carried me into the house bridal style, tucked me into bed like he had done it a thousand times before, and handed my brother the vial of medication and note with a very curt explanation that I shouldn't move for a few days before leaving. I could only gape at him as I imagined being completely knocked out as this happened, a little jealous- ok, really jealous- that I hadn't actually experienced this while being awake.

So, my thoughts became increasingly obsessed with Mori. I knew it was wrong, but there wasn't anything I could really do about it. He would flood my mind even if I tried to think about anything else, so I eventually just waved my mental white flag in surrender and gave in. There was something deep, but simple about him that I couldn't grasp with complete understanding. He was nothing like any of the guys I had ever had the rare chance of getting close to, and more than that, he understood things about me that other people just took for weirdness. I couldn't help the fact that I found myself defending poor, defenseless animals and was a little more critical on my own species, or that my mouth opened when I really knew I shouldn't say a single thing. But with Mori, none of that seemed to matter. With him, it felt like it was okay to make mistakes and not feel like he would ever use them to measure you by them. But the funny thing was, I couldn't ever remember seeing Mori make a mistake. It may have just been the fact that he was like the supreme warlord of silence and careful calculation, but still, he never seemed embarrassed by anything he did. He was so wonderful that I almost expected a parade to explode in my mind with banners saying just that every time I saw him, but that image was quickly suppressed with a groan at my sheer stupidity. Mori was human. He made mistakes, even if I didn't see them.

On the last day of my prompted bed rest, my cell phone went into a crazy stupor as my obnoxious techno ringtone blared into my left ear. I flopped my arm over to pick it up, still half-asleep from my glorious Mori daydreams for this afternoon, thinking it was probably Mitty for the third time today, ranting about some new novel she had picked up in the last few days to keep me entertained. When I read the name on the mini LSD screen, however, I almost fell off the bed in the realization that it was not her, but Hani.

"Hello?" I manged, trying to sound as cheery as possible at his unexpected call.

"Shi-chan!" Hani squealed over the bustle of noise going on behind him. "How are you feeling? Are your ribs all better now?"

"Wha-Huh?" I sputtered, confused as to how he knew what was wrong with me. "How did you know about my injury?"

He laughed. "Takashi told me, silly! But you're all better now, right?"

"I think so. Nothing hurts really badly anymore, but I honestly haven't been out of bed enough to see if I'm ready for the hustle and bustle of normal life just yet."

"That's good, I guess." He paused for a moment, his voice getting more serious as he continued. "Takashi was really, really worried about you."

I didn't think I heard him correctly. Did he honestly just say that Mori- calm, level-headed Mori- was worried about me? "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am. He's been doing a lot of stupid stuff this week, and he looks really tired. I asked him today, and he told me he was wondering if you managed to get enough rest to heal. I told him that I'd check in on you, so he'll probably be happy to know you're doing what the doctor asked."

"Seriously," I groaned, moving to slam my free hand into my forehead. "I feel horrible. Mori really shouldn't have gotten so work up about me."

"Then do something to apologize for letting him become worried."

My jaw dropped at Hani's abrupt proposal. "What?"

"If you feel bad for making him worried, then you should do something to thank him for his concern. You could get out of bed and test out your healing, too, so what do you think?"

How could I possibly say no when he was practically brimming with cuteness? "Uh, sure, I guess."

"Great!" He exclaimed, clearly pleased with my confused answer. "I'll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon so you can tell him directly, okay? Bye!"

I didn't even get a chance to ask what he meant. Sighing, I threw my phone onto the pillow beside me as the confusion and guilt racked up in my raging brain. Mori was worried, Hani had pretty much exploited my weakness at seeing him unhappy, and somehow had prodded me into an unexpected meeting with the now seemingly normal guy I had once thought to be an earth-bound angel of mercy. But what could I do to apologize to Mori? They said the easiest way to appease a guy was through his stomach, and so far, I didn't doubt my ability to do that. Dad and Aki seemed happy with my cooking, and they weren't the type of people to keep their opinions to themselves, family or not. I'd only been out to eat with Hani and Mori once or twice, and each time, it seemed he stuck to simple, savory foods. I had enough materials at home to make a decent sized box of flavored rice cakes and onigiri, so maybe I should stick with something simple and just do that. Knowing me, I would try to think up a lot more elaborate ideas, but with my state and my zeal to diminish Mori's worry, there was no time to be anything but realistic.

**AN: Thank you so much to all of you who have been adding this story to your alerts list and reviewing! This story is such a blast to write, and I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying it too. As always, I don't own Ouran High in any way. Please review! ~E.F.**


	5. Chapter 5

**V**

"Shi-chan!" Hani greeted as I opened the door, taking me in with a warm smile. "You look so pretty! Pink is definitely your color."

I smoothed the material of my bubbled cotton dress, looking out at him with a thankful grin. Three and a half hours of my morning had been utterly wasted in picking out this fru-fru outfit consisting of the pink dress, white gladiator sandals, a flower headband, and some fake pearl earrings. "Thank you, Hani. Sorry for making you drive all the way out here on your day off."

"It's not a big deal- not at all!" His grin only widened. "Are you ready to go?"

Nodding, he led me off to the car that was almost identical to the one Mori had taken me to and from the hospital in, except for this one was silver instead of black. Hani held my bags as I got in, then slipped into the seat beside me. He said something politely to the chauffeur and we were whisked off, going off in the direction of the posher side of the city. I was more nervous than a cat surrounded by a hundred dogs, and all I could do to keep myself from blurting it out like a complete moron was to pleat small folds into the material of my dress and not look at the blonde.

"So," Hani broke the silence expectantly, tapping the large bag with his finger. "What did you make for Takashi?"

"Some traditional snacks." I turned to look at him finally, my throat clenching in anxiety before I couldn't hold back the torrent of words building up inside of me. "I really should have called you back and asked you what he really liked, but I didn't think about that until I was almost done preparing it, and mom had just gone to the market, so I didn't to cause her any more trouble. Do you think he'll like it? Or did I just make a really, _really_ stupid assumption about him?"

He laughed, moving to look at me then out the window. "Nope, you did it right. He really does like that kind of stuff."

I sighed dramatically, feeling like the twenty ton rock that had been sitting in my belly all day had suddenly disintegrated. "Thank goodness."

"How did your father treat you this week?"

My heart lurched at his unexpectedly serious question, and I sighed, moving to glance out my window as my passed through the busy business sector of the city. "The same as usual." I murmured, trying not to sound like I wanted a pity party. "He was practically spitting fire when he first found out, but once he realized Aki and Mom could manage fairly well without my help, he didn't really say much about it. Honestly, I haven't seen much of him this week, so we didn't interact at all after the first few days of my bed-rest."

The blonde nodded slowly, but quickly bounced into his energetic self as the car slowed and we pulled into through a large gate. My jaw dropped open as I took in the large, old-fashioned Japanese mansion flooding the entire plain of view in front of us. Dear light, when I thought of mansions, I thought decent sized houses big enough for ten or fifteen people to live comfortably in, but this, _this_ could easily hold fifty or maybe even a hundred people. The old era architecture threw me off, until I smiled, realizing that this had Mori and his personality all over it. Silent power and simplicity were two things I had always tagged on him, and seeing the environment he had grown up in, it made it clear that it had influenced him justly.

My door was opened, and I stepped out into the bright sunlight onto the cobblestone driveway. Hani was soon standing beside me, holding my bag out to me with a bubbly grin. I took it and he skipped in front of me, leading me to the front gateway of the actual house, where two boys were sitting, talking loudly about what I made out to be some kind of sport. Each looked to be a spitting image of Mori and Hani, respectively, and I couldn't help but smile as I realized these must be their younger brothers.

"Satoshi-kun, Chika-chan!" Hani greeted exuberantly, lifting a hand to the boys.

"Hani-san!" The dark haired boy grinned, moving to sling his arm around his companion. "Will you please tell your brother that there are other animals other than chicks that should be bred for a husbandry farm?"

"Like bunnies!" Hani chimed, only to get a face from his brother.

"Or kittens." I put in, slamming a hand over my mouth as the two younger boys looked at me with mixed expressions.

"Shi-chan's right." Hani laughed, moving to point to me and then to the boys. "Satoshi-kun, Chika-chan, this is Hoshi Mizutemari. She's a friend of mine and Takashi's."

I finally remembered my manners and swept into a formal bow. "It's a honor to meet you."

"Satoshi, do you think you could take Shi-chan to Takashi? I have some stuff to do, or I would have just taken her myself."

The black haired boy stood, stretching with a grin. "Sure, Hani-san."

"Wait!" I fumbled in my bag, pulling out the top box before extending it to the blonde. "I made these for you, Hani, since I needed to apologize to you too for not being able to get you anything from the market last week like planned. They're all sweets, so I thought you'd like them."

His grin grew exponentially as the box was taken out of my hands with gusto. "Really?! Thank you, Shi-chan! Thanks so much. Chika-chan, do you want some?"

The two brothers were soon head first in trying to discover what was inside the boxes of treats, but Satoshi was already gesturing for me to follow him down the leftward branching walkway. I followed obediently behind him as we walked down the side of the one-story building. Neither of us really said anything, and for once, I was glad I could shut my mouth. The last thing I needed to be doing right now was ramble a million miles an hour to Mori's little brother, who probably could care less about my friendship- well, more like hardcore admiration that almost bordered putting Mori on a pedestal- with his brother.

"Wait here." He said kindly as we approached the corner of the house, gesturing to the wooden walkway just outside the room with a sweep of his hand.

All I could was take two steps forward before I froze completely. What in the world was I doing here? What could I possibly say to Mori? Would he be mad that I had shown up without letting him know? With Satoshi's back turned to me, I could make a hasty run for it before I saw Mori's face or said something extremely stupid. That sounded like the wisest decision right now, but as he opened the door and two creatures bolted out of the door, my heart melted and I forgot all my troubles in the light of their furry, adorable faces.

Satoshi turned back to me with an apologetic glance, before noticing my unmasked adoration for the tanuki and chicken with a small chuckle. "He's not in his room right now, but if I remember correctly, he got finished with kendo practice and is probably just cleaning up and on his way back. Do you want me to wait here with you?"

"No, I should be just fine." I managed, bobbing my head courteously before snapping my fingers in remembrance. Digging in my bag for a second, I pulled out a small wax bag, holding it out to him with a tiny grin. "I didn't know Mori had a brother, or I would have made more treats. These are some extra Madeleines I whipped up, so you could have them if you want."

His grin grew. "Thanks."

With a quick wave, he was dashing off down the walkway in the same direction we had come from, holding the bag securely against his chest. I watched him go with a tiny chuckle, moving to plop exhaustively on the edge of the wood. The tanuki and chicken slowly approached me from their spot to my left, and I held out my hand to the raccoon like creature, only to have it chatter and clamber up onto my lap after a hesitant sniff, trying to explore my bag as if he could care less that I was there.

"Hold on, little guy." I laughed, moving to scoot him out of the opening of the bag. "I did bring some fruit for us to share."

Before long, the three of us were settled comfortably in the dwindling afternoon sunlight, repeating a strange sort of pattern as the minutes worn on. I would spread some seed out on the plank beside me for Piyo-chan, and would then drop a slice of apple or orange for the tanuki to munch on. They were so adorable that I almost forgot the whole reason I had come down here for, until a set of heavy footsteps paused about a foot away from me. I turned quickly to meet Mori's surprised gaze, and quickly mirrored it. He was dressed in a bathrobe, a damp towel hanging limply against his neck, but that was about it as far as being clothed on his torso. A glorious square of his muscular chest peeked out from the slits of the robe, and I averted my gaze to the tanuki still sitting complacently in my lap before I died while basking in his glorious beauty.

He closed the gap between us with a few elongated steps, sitting down on the floor beside me with a small thud. The chicken squawked joyfully before jutting over to his side, though the tanuki only lifted his head and went back to devouring the orange slice he was nibbling contently on. I smiled lightly at the animal's ignorance to the tense situation I had put myself in, but now that I was here, I may as well do what Hani said and try to hopefully leave with even a scarp of my dignity when it was all said and done.

"I'm sorry for showing up unexpectedly." I apologized, glancing over at him to see him smiling gently down at the chicken. It was one of the rarer things he did, and it always warmed my heart to a million degrees to witness his genuine grin. He finally glanced over at me, and smoothed out his expression. "Hani said you had been worried about me, so I came here to show you that I'm healing just fine."

His eyes narrowed for a moment, and I knew he was doubting how honest I was being with him. Sighing, I reached my arm over and grabbed his hand, laying it on my rib cage. "See?" I asked without dropping my hold on him. "I'm telling you the truth- I did exactly as the doctor said and everything's healed. Please stop worrying. I couldn't take it if you did."

I let go of his hand, but it still lingered against my torso for a few extra moments before he lifted it gingerly and returned it to hold the chicken, who was now pressed lovingly against his side. His expression seemed identical to the one he had plastered on his face when I touched his lips in the hospital: eyes wide, a tiny blush, and a speculative expression. His eyes softened as he noticed me scrutinizing him, and I finally managed to look away, moving to feed the tanuki one last slice of apple before rummaging in my bag for his box of treats.

"Here." I slid the box in the gap between our legs, before busying myself with scratching the tanuki behind the ears so he wouldn't see how beet red my face was. "I thought I might as well bring you some snacks as an actual apology, so that's what's in the box. They're all savory and old-fashioned, but if you don't like them, you really don't have to eat them. It's not like I'm going to know."

He didn't say anything, and I was too terrified to look over at him to see what his body language was saying. Soon, I heard the lid of the box open with a squeak, and his deep voice rippled into the silence with ease. "Thank you."

The tears pricked at my eyes as I slid my gaze over to see him happily examining the treats, completely lost in the strange storyline I found myself living through. No- this wasn't a story. There wasn't going to be any twist in the plot, no unexpected gain in my favor. But why was I so sad? Why did I even care? Mori was just.. He was the love I had been looking for all along.

My stomach lurched. No. _No. _This was _not_ happening. Jolting up, I tried to shake off the sickening feeling rising up my throat as the tanuki scampered over to Mori's feet, looking just as shocked as he was at my sudden movement. I had to get out of here and quick. Tugging at the straps of my bag, I grabbed it from the floor beside me, turned my body, and started to jog down the walkway, hoping I would find the front gate before Mori could catch up to me.

Yet again, my hopes fell short as I felt a hand wrap tightly around my wrist, whirling me around until I was standing face to face with the one person I was trying to get away from. My eyes immediately locked with Mori's, which were wide in shock and concern at my sudden flight. I looked down at my feet as he held me firmly, the tears dripping across my nose before I even realized I was cry. Light! I really couldn't do this right now.

"Hoshi?"

That plea- so simple, but so deep- was asking too much from me. Unlike all the other times when I couldn't keep the words from flooding out of my mouth, my silence continued. He would never understand. He could never take someone like me seriously. Ripping my arm out of his hold, I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the pain, sadness, and horrendous guilt welling up in my torso until I knew for certain I had put more than enough space between the two of us to seal my decision forever.

**AN: Sorry for a slightly late update. But we couldn't have Hoshi in denial forever now, could we? Thank you to Hopelessly Hope, Shadewing31, KayDizzle, and Sophia Rosalie Gibbs for reviewing on the last chapter. You guys are amazing and wonderful! Please review! ~ E.F.**


	6. Chapter 6

**VI**

Being a flier is _not_ as glamorous or endearing as all those bridal-runaway stories ad movies make it out to be. There's this gnawing sense of turmoil and fear that fills you for days on end, until you become so numb to it all that you actually feel like a real-life zombie. You would think I'm just over-exaggerating because 1) my emotions were so out of whack my brain couldn't think straight and 2) I'm usually that kind of person when I get worked up, but no, I really wasn't. It felt like for the first time, I had experienced some emotion I had only wrote about for stories on end, but now, had given up a real-life opportunity to feel it all for myself.

The look in Mori's eyes from that fate-less meeting haunted my daydreams anytime I happened to weight the risks and close my eyes, twisting my stomach and heart into a knot so deep even a boy scout couldn't undo it. There were so many times when I replayed that one moment in my head- from when he grabbed my arm to the instant I bolted- and soon found myself wishing there was some way to do erase it all. But as I ignored call after call, text after text, from both him and Hani, I knew that I had pretty much shot myself in the foot for having that option available anymore. There were so many times that I made excuses for myself and all of the decisions I continued to make in regards to my dark-eyed crush: he had so much going for him in a world of rich people and martial arts that I had intruded into a friendship with him and his cheery cousin that Aki had warned wouldn't last long. Why would a gorgeous, smart, hardworking guy like him who was constantly surrounded by girls from influential families who were actually going somewhere with their lives want to slide into a happy-go-lucky romance with a rambling roxie like me? Yeah, I couldn't think of a realistic answer to that conundrum either.

As days turned into weeks, and my last high-school level winter break was steadily approaching I found myself too busy to waste anymore time thinking about the love- and most likely, friendship- I had thwarted from growing between me and Mori. There were things to do around the house before dad had to leave for work, scholarships and study abroad opportunities to apply and be interviewed for in my meager attempt to fight for a spot in a worthwhile college, and end-of-the-year school work to be completed that had no care for my pitiful, heartbroken problems. There was still a future and a present to still fight for, even If it meant accepting that Mori and Hani wouldn't be there to cheer me on along the way. I felt torn between trying to find a way to do all my work and fix all my errors, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got and ended up spending all my time with my nose to the grindstone with a fiery gusto that could scare even the wicked witch out of her eerie green skin all the way in Oz. Mitty and Aki seemed to notice my snappy, almost to-do list nature as the weeks wore on, and did their best to either avoid my hell-bent path of activity like the plague or appease me into doing something that would give me a rare chance to forget my idiocy and smile or laugh like my old self.

Which was exactly why Mitty had planned for the two of us to go to the pet store one Thursday afternoon in an attempt to scrounge up some new toys for Mohi. The little gray puffball was now too big comfortably to fit into both of my palms like he had for the majority of the time I had owned him, weighing in at a healthy few pounds for what I was assuming to six or seven months into his life. He was about as complacent as they got in the feline realm, and was my steady and furry companion from the minute I arrived home each day. Without him, I probably would have been more depressed than the current me actually was, and all in all, the little guy really could use something as thanks for doing just that when my best friend and brother were a little lacking in that department.

The two of us were chatting idly as we exited the school into the chilly November air, when I swore to light I saw a familiar figure propped up against one of the maple trees just outside the gate. When I did a double take, my stomach lurched as the pair of bright blue eyes I had not been imagining locked with mine. _Oh, dear light_ was all I could think of as a sweet, but predator like grin pulled at his lips when he knew I knew he was there. Mitty stopped as she noticed my blanched features and terrified expression, but Hani was soon on us before I could even ask her to get me out of there.

"Shi-chan!" Hani greeted warmly, waving at me as he broke through the murmuring girls staring at his Ouran uniform to stand less than an inch to my right. They broke to stare at me, laughing scathingly as they realized who I was and went off on their merry way as if this wasn't a spectacle their gossipy little behinds needed to stay around to finish for a good diss on my behalf.

"H-Hani." I sputtered, clenching my hands into tight fists against the side of my winter coat. This was not happening. He shouldn't be talking to me like nothing was wrong, unless I had suddenly found myself in a weird parallel universe where running like a coward had no repercussions. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to treat you to some crepes!" He chimed, patting at his belly with a childlike giggle. "How about it?"

"Hold on." Mitty put in, pushing me away just enough so she could stare at the blonde. Her dark eyes scrutinized his features for a moment, before looking up at me with a raised eyebrow. "I thought those rich guys weren't talking to you anymore. What's he doing here?"

"Like I said," Hani butted in before I could explain that I had absolutely no idea what he was doing here, let alone talking to me like nothing had happened. His eyes darted quickly from Mitty's fervent glare- one that had and probably would continue to freeze Satan's butt-cheeks together with its zealous rage- to mine, still wide in shock, with a look that made it clear as daylight that he was concerned and not angry. "Shi-chan should come and get some crepes with me. Are you ready to go?"

I looked from him to Mitty for a second, my mind whirling in the avalanche of thoughts cascading as the seconds wore on. Although I was tempted for a moment to say no, I couldn't deny that I had a very strong urge to know why Hani had come all this way, just to supposedly have crepes with me. I laid my hand on Mitty's shoulder, who was still looking more than ticked at the blonde's audacity, and gave a quick sigh to her in lieu of my decision. "Looks like you should go on without me. I'm feeling some crepes right about now, so we'll postpone the pet store trip for next week, alright?"

Her eyes narrowed, but unlike usual kept her blunt comments to herself. "If you say so. I'll kick your ass to the moon and back if not."

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting down at a french bistro on the other side of town. Hani was murmuring excitedly as the waitress brought the three plates of crepes he had ordered to the table, steaming and fresh from the the open air kitchen on the other end of the restaurant. I, on the other hand, had only ordered a cup of hot chocolate, seeing as my stomach was on its own roller-coatser ride and really didn't need the extra task of trying to digest anything. I couldn't even drink, so I just sat idly, watching Hani chomp down on one plate after the other as if there was a five minute time-limit to devour them all. Neither of us had said a word since getting into his car, though I was happy and anxious that both of us had remained silent that long. Maybe, he would just give up and leave me alone, and I could go back home, forgetting this strange rendezvous ever happened.

Like usual, Hani had other ideas. "Hey, Shi-chan," He questioned as he set his fork down on his third and final empty plate. "Who was that girl?"

All I could do was laugh for a solid minute straight like a prisoner who had just successfully escaped through a spoon-carved tunnel to freedom. Out of all the things he could have been interrogating me about now, he chose to ask about my crazy companion. "Who, Mitty? She's my best friend, and as you can tell, get's pretty worked up about things for no good reason."

"That makes sense!" He nodded enthusiastically. "It looks like you two seem to get along really well."

My smile diminished slightly. "We do. She's the only one who's stuck around to defend me, so I'm happy that at least one person's stuck around."

"What do you mean?"

His question, although kind, was really not something I wanted to relive again. But then again, I'd told myself there was no point in lying, so I may as well just spill the beans and get it over with. "There was a girl I used to be really close to my last year in junior high and first year in high school. She started doing things that were concerning me, and I said something about it to her when I couldn't stand her getting hurt so deep in the game, but word got around that I'd call her names or said some really harsh things about her when I hadn't. People got the wrong impression of me thanks to that, and Mitty was the only person to this day who defended me and saw that I had just voiced my concern and nothing else."

"That's horrible!" Hani exclaimed, his blue eyes wide in shock. "Everyone knows you're a good person Shi-chan. You're nice, sweet, and really smart."

I could barely contain the scathing laugh bubbling in my throat. "How do you know?"

"I just do." His expression turned a little more serious. "What are you going to do after you finish high school?"

"Huh?" I paused as I tried to process his random question. What I wanted to do really didn't matter. There was reality, and then there was extremely hopeful wishing that usually involved some kind of magic for it to come true. Sighing sadly, I began to trace the rim of the porcelain cup as I gave him my honest answer. "I really don't know. Sad, isn't it, when we have only a few months left before graduation? The reality is that my family will need me to stick around, so they'll have me working and maybe going to prep school. If I save up enough money and make sure everything's running smoothly at home, then maybe I'll go to university in a year or two."

"But is that what you want?"

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"You keep saying 'my family this' and 'my family that.' It makes it seem like you have no right to choose your own future. Forget about them for just a second, okay? What do you want to do, Shi-chan?"

The words were tumbling out of my mouth before I could even stop myself. "I really want to go to university and study either journalism or medicine. I couldn't stand being left behind while everyone else goes off to get their degrees, and I know that somehow, I could get a scholarship or work in between to pay it off and not have to wait. I just want to stand on my own two feet for the first time in my life."

Hani chuckled as I settled uncomfortably into my seat after my confession. "See? That's what you really want. Shi-chan, you really need to stop thinking about other people and how they might feel and do what you think is right."

I was pretty sure we were no longer talking about my plans for the future. What did he want to hear from me? That I was head over heels for his cousin, but I could never have him because I understood that there were things that obviously held more importance to him than being in a relationship with me? Heck, I didn't even know if Mori felt anything more than friendly concern towards me. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to fit all the pieces in when I didn't even know if we were both playing within the same puzzle.

Hani spoke up again as he noted my reserved silence. "You ran away and stopped talking to us because you realized like Takashi, didn't you?"

I jumped, my back slamming into the hard wooden chair with a thud as he hit the proverbial nail right on its fat, screaming head. Asking yourself that same question in the safety of your mind versus someone else putting out into the open elicited two very different responses. The mortification settled in as I tried to figure out how he had known. Was I really that obvious? If so, did Mori know as well?

I dropped my gaze. "It doesn't really matter."

"Of course it does." He quipped back gently, prodding me with that unnerving resilience that seemed lace in every fiber of his adorable but martial arts machine of a body.

"No," I spat back, hating that all the feelings I had let festered over the past few weeks were bubbling to the surface again. "It doesn't. You and I both know that there are other things more important to Mori than having to deal my inability to contain my wishful feelings. He doesn't need this kind of.. interference."

Hani sighed. "You did it again, Shi-chan. There wasn't a single thing about what you desired in that sentence. If you like him, and that's what you want, then go for it. There's no point in giving up if that's what you really feel."

I hung my head, hating that he was right. "You wouldn't want us to start dating, anyway."

"If I didn't, then why am I here?"

I jerked my head up to meet his kindhearted expression. His tiny smile grew as our eyes met, nodding in answer to my questionable gaze. Out of all the people his cousin could possibly be with, he was accepting me as a suitable choice? Holy rice cakes and tea. Someone pinch me right now. I ended up doing it myself after another second of stunned silence, only to have him laugh as he watched me wince like an idiot.

"You're so funny." He managed between giggles, and I ended up breaking into my first smile since we entered the bistro. "But I'm only going to give you one piece of advice. If you don't have confidence in pursuing what you think you deserve, then it's never going to work out. You have to believe in yourself first, or how else are you ever going to have the moxie to get someone else to do it for you?"

"I didn't really think that far in advance." I admitted, chuckling nervously at how deep this adorable guy could get when he wanted to. "Though I'm really just so sorry for making so much trouble. You guys must have been really worried, and all for my inability to face my own feelings."

He shrugged lightly. "We knew that you had to come to grips with something, and that whenever you got around to facing it, you'd come talk to us. If not, we had a back-up plan ready. Real friends don't just walk away from other friends without answers, but you already knew that huh?"

I couldn't help but grin at how quickly he had come to grips concerning my past with Mitty. "Yes."

Before too long, we left the bistro and headed all the way to the other side of the city to drop me off at home. As happy – well, more like drunk on glee- I was to have Hani's approval and support to chase after his wondrous cousin, I could help but feel this sickening feeling of fear creeping just behind it. He was right about so many things that I couldn't even see myself. Was I really someone who put herself last? I never did any of that intentionally, honestly; it was just the way my brain was programmed. But if that was the case, could I really fight for something like a relationship with Mori and allow myself to be so selfish? How would I approach it? Would he even give me the opportunity?

The car suddenly came to a rolling stop, and I glanced out the window to see my quaint house only feet from where I sat. My fiists clenched into tight balls as I raced to get my thoughts in order, knowing this was a rare opportunity I had to be alone with Hani to pick his brain for a solid path to steer my idiotic self on. I turned my head slowly to look at him, and he slowed his legs from rocking back and forth in the space between him and the seat in front of him to smirk at me, probably reading my thoughts like the adorable psychic I was starting to believe he really was.

"Everything's going to work out." He gave me two enthusiastic thumbs up. "But you have to remember what I already said, Shi-chan. Will you do that?"

I nodded, and before I knew it, my door was opened and I stepped outside to watch the car roll away before I could even do anything else. Before long I smiled, knowing that as much as I wanted to ask Hani anything, he had already done more than his share on helping me out in this strange, unfolding situation. So from here on out, it was up to me to strike up the courage to finally break my silence with Mori and once and for all, come to grips with this unquenchable feeling building up in my soul.

**AN: I'm sorry for a slightly late review! This week has been very hectic. Thank you to all who reviewed on the last chapter. It really means a lot to see everyone chipping in their opinions. Please do so again on this chapter and like usual, I hope you enjoyed! ~E.F.**


	7. Chapter 7

**VII**

"Are you sure he's going to show up?"

I paused in my frantic swinging to glare at Mitty, who had come to join me at the park almost as willingly as a fat kid is to start a strict diet. She was glancing up at the cloudless sky, her pin straight raven hair rippling in all its glorious magnitude as a breeze picked up around us. She had been less than enthusiastic about me leaving with Hani out of the blue a week ago, and seemed even more irked about my initiative to text Mori and ask him to meet me here today to settle things once and for all. I couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly about the change of events, but I was a little peeved myself that she wasn't here out of the goodness of her heart.

"I'm sure he will." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck before scuffing one of my feet in the dirt beneath the swing as I finally came to a rolling stop. "But more importantly, why did you follow me here? And don't say moral support, because I know you better than that."

She pursed her lips together, looking more and more like she was about to turn into a panther that was going to swallow me alive with each passing second. "I just don't want you to get hurt, ok? Even if his cousin said that he knows you like him, how can he be sure that his cousin feels the same way? And you heard Aki: they're richer than all get out. What if he uses some crap like that to widdle his way out of a relationship with you when there's nothing else holding him back? I couldn't stand you going through something as idiotic as that."

I was taken back when she huffed and tightened her grip. Mitty wasn't the kind of person to get worked up about any little thing, so when she got like this, I knew it had been eating away at her conscious for quite some time. As much as she wanted to be rooting for me, she couldn't without knowing -as well as I did- that this could easily go either way. Mori was the king of silence after all, and even after getting to know him well didn't exactly give me a gold star in understanding all of his emotions or thoughts.

"Everything's going to be fine." I managed a tiny smile, moving to pat her shoulder. "I knew that going into this, Mitty, even if I am a pineapple." She snorted, making me laugh before I could continue. "Anyway, Mori's not the type of guy to do stuff like that, but if he really didn't like me, I'm fine with him telling me so. And if that happens, you'll be there to kick his ass and comfort me until me stupid little heart finds a new guy to swoon over- which is exactly what I'll do for you, if you ever decide to get off that high horse of yours and give some guys a chance."

She huffed, moving to scan the park. "Maybe after I see some winged bacon. But more importantly, your lover boy is here."

I threw my glance outwards, and sure enough, Mori was just standing at the entrance of the playground, a duffel bag being held over one of his shoulders as he scanned the area. My heart lunged into a frantic pittering at the sight of him after a few weeks of absence, trying to not fall out of my seat on the swing-set at how badly I missed him. He looked so casual but powerful in his snug dark red v-neck and dark washed boot-cut jeans, looking so out of place in the colorful and childish area all around us. His ebony eyes swept over me before settling solely on my own heavy gaze, but thankfully Mitty decided to stand in my way before he could see how flushed my cheeks now were.

After a quick wave to me, she jutted off in his direction, and I watched with wide eyes as she paused in front of him, managing in a few words before racing off into the sunset like the sneaky little bandit she was. He only gave her a sidelong glance as she disappeared out of the park before locking eyes with me across the way. My feet suddenly felt like lead in the dirt, and as much as I wanted to swing away my worries, that was no longer going to happen. All I could do was watch, frozen in place, as he slowly made his way over to me and sat in the swing Mitty had occupied only moments before.

He didn't say a single word for a few minutes, but despite his usual silence, I had hoped he would be the one to break the awkward turtle rift bubbling between us. After running around my room half-screaming, half-muttering to myself like a lunatic after sending him the text for meeting me at the park today, I had been expecting some sort of response from him as to a yay or nay of the situation. The complete lack of communication on his behalf only made things worse. As worried as I was to his reaction since my runaway, I came to a sudden halt as I realized this must have been exactly what he felt like when I did that. There was gnawing doubt and confusion that could only be solved with a spoken explanation. And with me being the queen of rambling and unneeded wordage, that should have come easily to me, but hey, not everything is black and white right?

Finally finding the ability to move again, I scuffed my boot against the dirt and mustered all the energy I could before breaking the frail silence. "I bet you're wondering why I asked you to meet me here, huh?" I chanced a glance in his direction, only to see him staring directly at me. There was nothing pressing for information written in his expression; if anything, he seemed tired and loaded with enough going on behind those ebony eyes. Laughing gently, I moved to swing slowly in the space, averting my gaze to the molten orange sunset sipping below the skyline right in front of us. "You would think that with all the nonsense I babble with I would have more than enough to say to you right now, but honestly, I don't even know what to say. Maybe I should start with an apology, but I'm not sure that one is even worth spewing after avoiding you for so long. I did what I thought was best, but it caused you and Hani a lot of worrying and what not. But now, I think I finally know what to do to set it right."

I turned to give him a confidant glance. "You know I probably don't have the best background to put much hope in myself. But even so, why should I give up? Don't I have a right as much as anyone else to do what I think is best for me? As selfish as that sounds, I can't just give up. I have a right to fight for what I believe in, and that means doing what I want and going straight into college. I don't have a right to sit around and let other people dictate my life anymore. And I hope that you'll be the one to stand next to me and see how far I can push myself. Then again, I know I don't have a good track record with sticking around when things get sticky, but this time will be different. I just know it."

He laughed quietly at my honesty, moving to sway slightly in his own swing. I smiled at the positive gesture, but my face soon fell as the expression quickly evened out to a deeply pensive frown. Light forbid that angels frown, and even more so when a delicious Greek god in the flesh should do just that. Was he upset that I was pulling him back into the mix of things without a real apology or any explanation as to why I did what I did? Or was he trying to think of a nice way to let me know he didn't care that much about me to do what I had asked?

"I had to reject a girl at school today." He admitted abruptly, and I swore my heart slammed into the front of my rib cage like a fat person trying to come to a gentle stop on a high speed roller-coaster.

"Oh." My voice didn't conceal how miserable I felt at the direction he was taking our conversation. "You seem pretty torn up about it."

He shrugged, the swing swaying again from the sudden movement. "She looked defeated. And scared. Just like you the last time I saw you."

I rubbed the back of my neck in discomfort, hating how he could always pin exactly what I was feeling at that moment in time to a tee. Had I really been that obvious? Then again, Hani had figured everything out not that long ago either, so maybe his tall, dark, and handsome counterpart was just as perceptive. "Sometimes we just get faced with things we don't know how to process." I could feel his heavy gaze without even looking at him. So this was it, huh? Might as well do my best and see how my heart would fare. "You know that you, Hani, and Mitty are the best three people I have ever met, right? I mean, without you guys I wouldn't have gotten Mohi, found what I wanted to do with my life, or thought that my stupid mouth could do anything but turn people away. That's why I always told myself everything should stay just the way it is for as long as possible, so I ran to keep everyone safely in their place. But I realized that's not what I really wanted. What I want.. what I want is you, Mori. I know I don't have much to offer you, and that you have so many people and things that are important to you already. I'm not asking you to change anything, other than to let me be the one person who can make you happy despite it all."

His gaze seemed to lift from me, but before I manage to look his way, I felt his hand rest against the top of my auburn locks and ruffle them gently. I finally turned to gawk at him, only to see him giving me a smile warm enough to melt every woman's heart – and mine as well- from here to the remotest village in the rainforest with complete ease. "You already are."

My heart skipped a beat at his simple statement, and I looked down, afraid of what he really meant. Was he saying that he cared as much for me as I did for him? Or was it more in a friendly, brotherly way like the way he treated Hani and everyone else he was friends with? The answer seemed to spring forth as his hand slowly slid from the top of my face down along my right cheek, where it rested as he spoke up again. "Hoshi."

Just like the only other time I'd ever heard him call me by my first name, I couldn't resist gazing into his eyes with a pit growing in my stomach. The look in his eyes floored me from the instant I caught sight of it, releasing all the fear growing just below my surface as my breath caught in my throat. There was nothing there but that rare sight I'd seen bubble to the surface every time he genuinely smiled. It was as if all the stupid, irrational things I had piled onto his conscious never even existed, and he only saw the potential hidden between all of my bewildering acts. Was this even reality? Mori- gorgeous, independent Mori- was giving someone as crazy and reckless as me a look that loving and understanding? Shut the front door!

When I finally found the ability to breathe again, a tiny smile pulled at my lips. Mori soon saw it and mirrored it, until I broke out into a laugh so carefree and blonde I swore a gaggle of cheerleaders was going to gather around me at any second and ask me to join their squad. His hand slowly lifted from my cheek to rest back in his lap, and I couldn't help but think of how badly I wanted him to leave it there for the rest of eternity. The smile soon smoothed from his face, though the happiness still shone brighter than the noonday sun in his eyes.

"You'll have to wait, though."

I shot him a quizzical look at the odd statement. Wait a second- hadn't he just made it clearer than black words on white paper that he felt something more than friendly for me? I didn't like the thought of going a hundred steps backward after taking a leap of faith, so like any sane person would do, I asked him blankly. "Hold on. You do have feelings for me that make you get a loosey goosey in the noggin, right?"

He chuckled, bobbing a quick nod before I actually let my thoughts catch up with me. As I failed to realize in the last few minutes of pure joy, there were other things swimming around the sea of importance in both of our lives that would obviously interfere with trying to figure out a way to form a working relationship. As much as I wanted to push it aside, graduation was less than four months away, and the decision of some last minutes college opportunities would be rolling in. Which also meant that Mori was finishing up his club activities, trying to get things for done for college, and make sure he and Hani would be ready for the transition.

"I understand." I replied gently, giving a quick thumbs up. "There's a lot waiting just around the bend, so we just have to be patient right?"

He nodded again, moving to place his hand on my knee. "Exactly."

**AN: I am so extremely sorry for the very, VERY late review. Between work, family, and trips out of the country, this story fell on the back burner. Thank you to all who reviewed on the last chapter, and I hope some of the fluffiness in this chapter will hold you over until the next update! ~ E.F.**


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